1985 Schwinn Peloton, heartbreak
 

so i picked up this fantastic, almost all original (no tires) 1985 schwinn peloton.

columbus SL and SP mix, suntour PRO dropouts, full suntour superbe pro with the exception of the brakes which are royal gran comp, top of the lineup bike (excluding the paramount).

all the components are in amazing condition, crankset and front derailleur will look new when cleaned up, rear derailleur has a small scuff, MKS pedals and clips are in great shape as are the brake calipers. on the other hand, 1 lever has a small hairline crack in the side where the metal folds over the back side of the lever.

the frame has its share of scrapes and chips in the paint, and the heartbreaking part... a ding in the top tube near the seat cluster.

can anyone say if the ding makes the frame "unsafe" to ride?

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4153/...4ffbed48_b.jpg

in the pic i placed the back side of a hacksaw blade along the top tube to show the depth of the ding, less than 1/16th of an inch, probably closer to 1/8th, and only 1 inch from the furthest points left and right, where it moves off the straight edge.

needless to say i was pretty furious as i asked the seller on the phone BEFORE making the 3.5 hour drive in HORRIBLE traffic, "aside from the paint scratches... are there any dings or dents on the frame itself?" she said "nope, none".

she was asking $400, the bike had been listed for over a month, i told her the frame is almost worthless from a collectors standpoint and might not be safe to ride. she told me some story about how it was her late fiancee's bike, who passed 4 years ago and it's just been sitting around, and although she has no use for it, she felt some sentimental attachment. her lowest price, $250. i didn't realllllly want to pay that, but after the drive i didn't want to leave empty handed, and considering the condition of the components (what i was really after) i went for it.

can anyway say what the frame/fork might be worth considering the ding? one just like it sold (frame and fork only) on ebay just this month for $270 in pretty good condition, and no ding. http://cgi.ebay.com/SCHWINN-PELOTON-...item564105827b

here are more pics, no time to clean it up yet...

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5286/...117310cc_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5246/...00a2a22b_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5202/...378499b6_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4127/...2d65127e_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4083/...9c9db63d_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4131/...dbf59b55_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4107/...74df758d_b.jpg

it actually makes my stomach hurt... it's such a beautiful frame and amazingly light. oh well i guess.

Doesn't look that bad. It's not like the tube is completely crushed out of round.:( Nothing that a little daub of bondo and some TLC wouldn't fix. :thumb:
Remember that bike is a survivor. It's not like Schwinn is still churning them out.

bummer about the blemish.
i have a friend who has a dent at least 3x that size and hes ridden the bike everywhere since. pbp, tons of doubles, triples, 508 a couple times and its still going strong.

Yeah, that ding isn't a big deal.

The dent is not a structural concern. Ride it.

-Kurt

Like most have stated, It doesn't look bad. I'd ride it. As far as value, im sure the dent doesn't help. It will all depend on the potential buyer if you do decide to part with it.

Take the bike to automotive paint supply store, get the paint matched. Have the top tube fixed/ filled and spot spray the area, and use a small brush to touch up all the chips. It should look like new.

Mike

No big deal on the dent. As a reference.....your bike takes a J.I.S. headset.

Dude. Seriously. That's NOTHING. That's not even a love tap. Why are people so uptight about dents on steel frames. Just ride it and enjoy it.

And ifif just makes you crazy I know where there's a very clean black Circuit frame, 89? minty really. Maybe $250 but I can check for you.

oh man, i had an 84/85 circuit and loved it.

you guys are all telling me what i already thought, just wanted confirmation.

i'm less worried about it falling apart on me and more disappointed that such a nice bike has a flaw.

also, it's too small for me. like i said, i really bought it as a donor bike and will sell the frame/fork as soon as i clean it up. i just wanted confirmation that the frame is fine to ride and won't fall apart on the next guy.

also, i'm wrong on the date, it's a 1985 model, not 1989. :)

if your afraid to ride that send it to me and I will test ride all next summer for you *giggle*

IIRC and Maybe T-Mar and some others can back me up. I believe there is a tool for just this purpose. two hunks of metal about 2/3s, maybe the same size, as a Rubics cube. each "half" has a cutout. you use a soft colth and gently clamp it around your frame in a bench vise


but this does not look any worse than some of the 'handlebar' dings you used to see on 853 frames

Agreed.

Marketing 101 I guess.

That is one very nice bike. I recently scored a 1986 Super Sport which is second in line to the Peloton. I love the way it rides. Also the guy that had it never rode it. I'm always on the look out for a Peloton in my size 59-60cm.

Mike

Wow.

Super clean as one would expect from an essentially new bike.

These do come up from time to time locally at very good prices, but they aren't in this condition.

Good catch.

He said in his initial post the components were all that he was after.

If you ride with a pump along the bottom of the top tube, velcro straps to hold it in place will probably cover it.

The shop was working on a stuck seat post on one of my tandems and hit the top tube with a hammer causing a quarter sized dent. Santana said it was not a problem. Looks like there is a dent in the fork or is that an illusion?

Originally Posted by Chuckk
How many time have folks harvested answers about a bike they found here, only to finally end up with, "It's really too big for me, and I'm going to flip it." after they get what they need?


Except that I said in the original post that I was after the components, which were in fantastic condition, and that's why I agreed to the price I paid, which was more than I thought it was worth as a whole.

Then why the angst?

It's an illusion.

Because it's a nice bike. Even if he's flipping it, why see it go to waste?

Buy it to ride, not to flip. Very low flip potential unless it's at $100. I say that because you're asking the "value" of the bike in the market. At this point you should be asking what it's worth to YOU. The dent is fine to ride. May even be able to rub it out a little with body work spoons but no biggie.
So is it worth $250 to YOU to ride as is? Or are you looking to change all the components and upgrade it?
$250 is high for me unless it's got components I will be happy using as is (including the wheelset).

Certainly should ride very nicely as is. If it's your size then get it to ride, don;t worry about the resale.

Thank you DRietz, you're right, the "angst" is because I care that a really nice, fairly uncommon bike is messed up. I get that it's not a Cinelli or DeRosa but the feeling is the same for me.

And to clear up any confusion about why I bought the bike, again, I bought the bike as a DONOR bike, I want the components for another build (as stated in the original post). The reason I asked about value is because I paid quite a bit for it and would like to recoup some money, AND I want to be certain that the dent isn't structural. If I sell the frame for $10 or $100, I don't want it to fail on the next guy. I figure even though I paid $250 for it, it will end up being cheaper than piecing together the components.

Why am I getting all this "flipper" hate? I'm not trying to sell it for a profit or a ridiculous price (or at all at this point), and everyone seems to agree that I over paid. So if anyone is getting the short end of the stick here, it's me.

Sorry if I offended anyone.